USA > Illinois > Cook County > History of Cook County, Illinois : being a general survey of Cook County history, including a condensed history of Chicago and special account of districts outside the city limits : from the earliest settlement to the present time, volume I > Part 83
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Mr. Wheeler was married at Allentown, Pa., on February 12, 1873, to Cassie Gould, daughter of William H. Taylor of New York City, and has two children: Cassie Gould, now Mrs. Edwin W. Gearhardt of Scranton, Pa., and Albert Gallatin, Jr.
He is president and director of the Illinois Tunnel company, the Illinois Telephone and Telegraph company and the. Illinois Tele- phone Construction company. He is also director of the Automatic Electric company, and is prominently identified with many other . corporations. His office is The Rookery, Chicago.
Carleton White, wholesale dealer in upholstery goods and cabinet hardware, was born in Cincinnati, O., September 24, 1860, the son of Carleton and Elizabeth H. (Dunn) White.
He received part of his education at the Cincinnati public schools and when, in 1868, he came with his parents to Chicago, continued his studies in the schools here.
His first business venture was with the Chicago agency of the Waterbury Needle Co., with whom he remained until 1877. In 1878 he was employed by W. D. Gibson, dealer in cabinet hard- ware and upholstery goods, which firm was succeeded by Gibson, Parish & Co., and the latter in 1889 by Lussky, Payn & Co., of which firm Mr. White was a partner. On the death of Mr. Payn, of the last mentioned concern, the surviving partners acquired his interest, the firm becoming January 1, 1903, Lussky, White & Coolidge, which firm was succeeded January 1, 1909, by Lussky, White & Coolidge, Inc., of which Carleton White is now president.
Mr. White has been twice married; first, October 17, 1887, to Alice L. Luther, of Belding, Mich., by whom he had one son, Carleton Luther ; second, April 21, 1896, to Louise A. Wilson.
He is a Republican in politics and is a member of the South Shore Country club, the Homewood Country club, the Chicago Yacht club, the Chicago Athletic association, and at the present time is one of the directors of the latter organization. He is also a member of the Chicago Association of Commerce and is active in the affairs
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of that organization. He resides at 4610 Ellis avenue, his place of business being located at 111-113 E. Lake street.
James H. Wilkerson has achieved a national reputation as a lawyer connected with the office of United States District Attorney. He was born December 11, 1869, at Savannah, Mo., his parents being John W. and Lydia (Austin) Wilkerson. When 13 years old he moved with his family to Mount Ayr, Ia., and at the age of 15 years entered DePauw university, at Greencastle, Ind., from the classical course of which institution he was graduated in 1889, when but 19 years old. The succeeding two years he was principal of the high school at Hastings, Neb., then returned to Greencastle, Ind., where for two years he was a member of the faculty of his alma mater and occupied the chair of English and Rhetoric. During this time he studied law and attended the law school at Greencastle, and in 1894 came to Chicago, passed the Supreme Court examina- tion, was admitted to the bar and for eighteen months practiced law with an office in the office of Myron H. Beach. He then be- came associated with the firm of Tenney, McConnell & Coffeen, and so continued until 1900 when he was admitted as a partner and thus continued until January 1, 1908, since which time he has been engaged in individual practice in connection with his public duties. Mr. Wilkerson has always been a Republican in politics. In 1902 he was elected from the Thirteenth Senatorial district to the State Legislature and as a member of that body his services were note- worthy by reason of his conducting the fight for the State Civil Service Law which failed to pass, and in introducing the resolution for the charter amendment to the State Constitution which was adopted by both House and Senate and was ratified at the follow- ing general election. In 1903 Mr. Wilkerson was appointed county attorney, serving as such until September, 1904. In 1906, he was appointed special assistant United States District Attorney and has since served in that capacity. In this position he was the attorney in charge of many important cases in litigation that commanded national attention. Among these were those of the Government against the Standard Oil company, which resulted in the fine of over $29,000,000; the rebating cases against the Lehigh Valley Rail- way company, the Nickel Plate Railway company, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway company, A. Booth & Co .; the case against express companies for issuing franks, or free transportation ; the case against the Monon railway for issuing free transportation for advertising; the Allis-Chalmers case for violation of the Alien Labor law; the case enjoining the Sanitary district from diverting the water of Lake Michigan to the Calumet river, and many other similar cases. As a lawyer, Mr. Wilkerson ranks among the first in Chicago. He is a member of the Union League, Hamilton and Law clubs, and the Chicago, State and National bar associations. He is married and resides at 6448 Minerva avenue.
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Johnson Wilson, an early settler of Oak Lawn, was a native of Ireland. born in County Tyrone, May 10, 1838, being the son of Robert and Susan (Graham) Wilson. The parents also were both natives of County Tyrone where they were born in 1798 and 1804 respectively. They grew up and married and in 1854 crossed the ocean to the United States, landing in New York City on June 9. Soon afterward they came to Chicago and thence moved to Dupage county where the mother died on September 27, 1854. In the Spring of 1856 the family returned to Cook county, settled in Palos township, but two years later located in Worth township and there the father resided until his death on June 18, 1865. He and wife were members of the Presbyterian church and were among the in- telligent and highly respected citizens of the community. Their five children were as follows: William, who died when seven years of age; Eliza J. (deceased) ; Edward, a resident of Worth township; Johnson and Charles, the latter residing in Will county.
Johnson Wilson was brought to America by his parents in 1854 and received the greater part of his education in this country. He was reared on a farm and ever since has followed farming as an occupation. In November, 1870, he married in Cook county, Margaret E. Bartley and they have six children as follows : Robert E., a professor in Northwestern University at Evanston; Eleanor M. at home with her parents; Mary E. (deceased) ; Franklin, engaged in farming in Cook county; Grace J., wife of Charles Winslow of Englewood, and Leonard J., a farmer of Cook county. Mr. Wilson is one of the substantial citizens of this portion of the county. He is much concerned in the progress and welfare of the community and has occupied several positions of responsibility with credit. He served as highway commissioner six years and has done much to aid generally the good roads movement. He served as school di- rector and school trustee and generally has identified himself with every movement in this community to improve the schools and educate the children. He is a Republican and a strong Prohibition- ist and has the respect of all who know him.
Leo J. Witkowski, M. D., located at Forty-eighth street and Hermitage avenue, was born in Joliet, Ill., on April 29, 1882, and is a son of Anthony and Wladyslawa (Dobyjanski) Witkowski, natives of the Province of Posen, German-Poland. The father came to the United States in 1874 and settled in Joliet, where for 33 years he has been in the employ of the Illinois Steel company. Since 1899 he has had charge of their construction department. He has taken much interest in politics and is a member of the Republican party.
Leo J. is the only child of his parents. He was reared to man- hood in his native city and attended the parochial and grammar schools, and was graduated from the Joliet Township High school in 1903. In the autumn of the same year he entered the medical
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department of Northwestern University and was graduated there- from in 1907 with the highest honors of his class-Magna Cum Laude. After receiving his diploma he spent seven months in Northern Michigan in mining practice. On December 1, 1907, he became resident physician at the Cook County hospital, where he served until June 1, 1909, when he opened his present office. Al- ready he has succeeded in building up a lucrative practice. He is an instructor in the surgical department of Northwestern University, and designs in the near future to make surgery a specialty. He is a member of the Chicago Medical society, Polish Medical association, St. Joseph's Polish Catholic church and the Western Catholic union. He is medical examiner of the Catholic Order of Foresters and in politics affiliates with the Republican party.
Frank Zajicek (pronounced Zeicheck) was born May 24, 1860, at Skrchleby, Bohemia, and came to Chicago in October, 1867, to- gether with his parents and four brothers and two sisters. His father, Anton Zajicek, was well-educated and highly respected in the country of his birth, especially in the Village of Skrchleby, where he served as mayor for several terms, and where his only wife, Marie (nee Knitl), gave birth to nine of his children, of whom two of the younger boys died there in their infancy. The elder Zajicek loved his native Bohemia most dearly, but was bitterly opposed to the military duties, which prevail up to this date in Austro-Hungary, and therefore, reluctantly, and only in the thought of saving his little army of five healthy and able-bodied boys from the much de- spised military duty, did he determine to immigrate to America. And thus, after realizing about $3,200 for his real estate holdings in and about Skrchleby, he departed with his family from his native land in the autumn of 1867 and went directly to Chicago. The elder Zajicek was then 46 years of age, while his wife was 34, and the ages of their children ranged as follows: Mary, 17; Anton, 15; Leopold, 13; Vaclav (alias James) II., Joseph, 9; Frank, 7; and Bessie, 5 years. A tenth child (the eighth son) was then born in Chicago, but died in its infancy. The good and venerable mother of this small army of children died in the early age of 38 on August 13, 1871, in Chicago, while the father died 31 years later at the age of 77. The seven Zajicek children named above are still alive and live in Chicago, are married and have children. Anton, Jr. served five years in the U. S. Army and is now in the employ of Uncle Sam, being one of the oldest in service and most efficient carriers at the Pilsen P. O. station. Leopold, James and Joseph were for several years interested in the manufacture of picture frames and moldings, and later owned sample rooms; the first two are now however retired. Bessie Zajicek, the youngest of the Zajicek children, was married to Dr. Frank J. Jirka, a brilliant citizen and practitioner, who was also active in public and political matters in Chicago. Dr. Jirka, during his lifetime, was a member
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of the school board of Chicago for two terms and as a mark of re- spect to his memory one of the public schools bears his name.
Frank Zajicek attended the public schools until the 14th year of his age, and a private school for a short period and in the latter part of 1874 he entered the printing office of Joseph Langmayer as an apprentice. A weekly and later on a daily newspaper was pub- lished at this office, and young Frank here had a good opportunity to learn the printers' art in all its details, so that at the age of 18 he became foreman at said office, and at the age of 19 years he became foreman in the composing room of a much larger printing office of August Geringer, where the Bohemian Daily "Svornost" has been published for over 34 years, and where a vast amount of other literature has been published for as many years.
The printing office of August Geringer gave Frank Zajicek bet- ter opportunities in executing artistic job work, which was his specialty, and he was at that time known as one of the best job setters in the city. At the end of three years however, striving for further advancement, he resigned at the Geringer office and ac- cepted a situation in the office of A. Zeese & Co., at an advanced salary, only to remain engaged there for a few weeks, after which he accepted a still better position with the printing firm of Wagner & Gross, which was then located at Clark street a few doors south of Madison street. His advancement with this firm was rapid, so that in a few weeks he was given full charge of this well-known printing establishment of that period, and Frank Zajicek was then but 22 years of age. He retained his position with said firm until the latter part of 1883, when he resigned to enter into the real estate business, which he has been pursuing ever since.
From his boyhood days young Frank was inclined to economy, which is best evidenced by the fact that he was a member of a build- ing association from the time he was 18 years of age, and to his credit it may be said that he acted as second secretary of said build- ing association from the time he started to put his savings therein. He. acted in this capacity until his maturity, when as a reward for his faithful services he was elected as first secretary of said asso- ciation, and he has nothing but praise for those young people, who learn to save early, as thus they pave their way to prosperity and independence. He was also a stanch lover of good reading and spent a great deal of his spare time in this elevating recreation. And be it also said to his credit that notwithstanding the fact that he quit school at the age of 14, still he did not give up his studies then, but pursued them during evening hours and he considers it a pleasure to say that almost every newspaper or printing office is a true alma mater to the vast armies of self-made men, who read and reason, and who are ambitious to know as well as those who had the ad- vantage of a professional education at some college.
In 1884 he married Marie Houdek, a daughter of John Houdek,
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a well-to-do and prominent Bohemian merchant of Chicago, who for many years was the treasurer of the First Bohemian Catholic Central union, of the United States, and also of several building associations. After his marriage Frank Zajicek opened a real estate office at the corner of Blue Island avenue and Eighteenth street in the old 6th ward, where he was very successful for quite a number of years and his business reputation amongst his colleagues and in the community was the best. He also took active interest in ward and city politics, and in 1889 he ran as a Democratic candidate at a primary in the old 9th ward against Tommy Carroll, defeating the latter by 3 to 1 votes. The primary was conducted however under the old obnoxious go-as-you-please system, with one polling place at the corner of Ashland avenue and Fourteenth street, with two Carroll judges and one judge favorable to Zajicek. The latter judge, at the close of the primary and while the votes were being counted, was obliged to absent himself just for a couple of minutes, and in his absence the other judges and clerks, who were all favor- able to Carroll, immediately destroyed the ballots and tally sheets, and then declared Tommy Carroll as the Democratic candidate at the primary. When this declaration was made, the friends of Zajicek, who in a great majority surrounded the polling place and who knew the true condition of things, that Zajicek was elected by a vote of 3 to 1, threatened to make it hot for the Carroll cohorts, who however hastily disappeared. As a result of this despicable outrage however, Tommy Carroll was defeated at the election by his Republican opponent, by a vote of about 4 to 1, and considering the fact that this ward was always considered as one of the strongest Democratic bulwarks in the city, it goes without saying that the Democratic organization did not benefit much by this sort of work of some of its ardent judges and clerks. As a soothing balm to Zajicek, however, and on account of harmony Zajicek was given the city central committeeship at the convention, which he accepted re- luctantly, and only at the earnest solicitation of some of the Dem- ocratic leaders. In this capacity Zajicek remained for one term only, assisting some of his friends to minor positions on the city roster. He was mainly however instrumental in the appointment of his brother-in-law, Dr. Jirka, to the school board by the late Mayor Cregier. Zajicek also, during the first few years of his short political career, acted respectively as clerk or judge at several regular elec- tions, but soon realized that the general political campaigning as it was carried on about 15 years ago, was very unclean and required the most robust health and persistent doggedness, to which he was not accustomed, and he therefore quit politics peaceably, and has since inclined to the Republican party, reserving however to him- self the right to vote for the best men of either of the political parties.
In 1896 Frank Zajicek entered the Chicago College of Law, where
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after three years' studies he was awarded the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He does not practice in the courts however, but still carries on his real estate business established in 1883. Frank Zajicek has been a devoted lover of music, and an active member of the "Lyra" Singing society for over eighteen years, and eleven years ago he organized the Smetana Singing society, of which he has been the president since. He is a member of the Pilsen Turner so- ciety, The Phi Alpha Delta Fraternity, The Royal Arcanum, The Royal League and The National Union. In 1907 (after 40 years) he visited his place of birth together with his wife and his brother James, going at the time as the leader of a party of more than 180 Bohemians from Chicago and other western cities to attend the "Sokol" (Turner) festivities at Prague, Bohemia. He has four children: Frank E. (24), a graduate of the Chicago-Kent College of Law, Edwin (17), Robert (15) and Camille (13). He resided for many years at 1176 Douglas boulevard in one of the most beautiful spots of Chicago, and at present resides at 567 (or new 1415) W. Eighteenth street.
As a benefactor Frank Zajicek deserves to be ranked amongst the foremost of the Bohemians of this city, having some years ago donated two building lots valued at about $2,500 to the Bohemian Old Peoples' Home and Orphan asylum, and otherwise performing many charitable deeds in a quiet but effective manner.
Boleslaus Zaleski, a prominent pharmacist at 4645 South Ashland avenue, was born in Russian-Poland, on January 6, 1878, and is the son of Anton and Mary (Godleski) Zaleski. Their son, Boleslaus Zaleski, was reared in his native land to the age of 18 years, receiving in the meantime a Gymnasium education at Warsaw, Poland. The education given at the Gymnasium was similar to that imparted at the high schools in America. In 1896 he crossed the ocean to America and coming West located in Chicago where he began attending evening schools to improve his knowledge of the English language. At the same time he began the study of pharmacy which he had studied for two years in the old country before coming to America. Later he took a special course of private instruction in pharmacy, succeeding which he successfully passed the examination and received his commission from the State Board of Pharmacy. Soon afterwards he established his present business which he has profitably and successfully conducted at his present location ever since. At this date he has the largest and most com- plete drug establishment on South Ashland avenue. In 1891 he married Olympia, daughter of Joseph Kaczynski of Chicago. He is a member of the Polish Turners' Alliance of America and is the president of this organization in the United States. He is now serving his second term as such official. This organization is one of the oldest of the Polish people in the United States and the most progressive and educational.
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John V. Zelezny, proprietor of the Zelezny Savings bank and operator in real estate, loans and insurance, at 3856 West Twenty- sixth street, was born in Bohemia, on April 25, 1852, and is a son of John and Veronyka (Los) Zelezny. He was reared to maturity in his native country and there received a broad education under the instruction of his father who was a teacher by profession. Hoping to better his condition he immigrated to the United States in 1884 and for a short time stopped in New York City, but finally located in Chicago which he has since made his home. His first employment here was in a shoe store where he remained for two years. In 1888 he embarked in the retail shoe business on his own account and was thus engaged until 1894, when he erected a building on West Eighteenth street and was engaged in the retail liquor trade for three years. In 1896 he attended a local business college for one term, and the following year embarked in the real estate business in connection with insurance on West Eighteenth street. This busi- ness he successfully conducted until 1909 when he moved into the building he now occupies, which, including the ground, cost $20,000. He conducts a thoroughly up-to-date banking establishment, and has all modern fixtures, such as safety vaults, deposit boxes, etc. He has organized and successfully conducts five building and loan as- sociations among the Bohemians on the West Side. Mr. Zelezny is thoroughly identified with Chicago business and institutions and is well known and respected in the community where he lives and does business. He is a member of the Bohemian Order of Foresters, North Union of America, and in politics is independent. In 1876 he married Marie, daughter of George Benda, of Bohemia, and they have three children : Ottilie, a practicing physician of Chicago and the wife of Dr. Otto Baumrucker: Anna, now attending the Illinois College of Law ; and John George.
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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 977.31G63HI
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HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY
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